First Comes Like

Alisha's romance novels have a special place in my heart, so I was already excited for the release of this trilogy finale. And then when I got the opportunity to be a part of the blog tour, I was ecstatic. And this book lived up to all my expectations.

Jia is such a wonderful character. As a South Asian woman, I personally know how hard it is to defy our parents' expectations from us and carve our own path, so Jia choosing to be a beauty influencer with an ambition to do more is really very admirable in my eyes. Dev on the other hand is an Indian soap opera star trying his hand in American television, but I loved how down to earth he is and knows what his priorities are. Even though their relationship takes a very unique and slightly unconventional path, I loved the bond they formed with each other and they just felt perfect for each other. Her impulsive nature and his steady supportive calm are great complements and i thorough enjoyed reading about them.

The friendships that have developed throughout this series and fully in display again and I can't describe how much I love all these brilliant strong women Alisha has created. We get to see some fascinating older women too in the form of Jia's mom and Dev's grandma, and it was such an overall excellent ensemble. The plot is entertaining and sweet, the pacing is just fast enough for us to want to know what's gonna happen next already, and the characters are so lovable. I also loved that Alisha decided not to go with unnecessary break up/make up subplot because I was really dreading that third act which has become so predictable. But Alisha never disappoints and I should have just trusted her writing.

In conclusion, this is a very lovely romance with a sweet couple and full cast of supportive side characters. If you have enjoyed any of Alisha's novels previously or just like romance novels with smart heroines and nice heroes, this one is perfect for you. I can't believe this series is already over and I can't wait to see if Alisha will write a spin-off with Lakshmi's story next.

This cover (like the book itself) is my least favorite of the trio. It's a bit on the boring side, and the guy on the cover isn't ANYTHING like how “I” pictured Jasper. The typography is interesting, though.

So this one ended up being my least favorite of the trio. I'll get into why in a second but first I want to say that while this one didn't quite meet my expectations, it was a still a very enjoyable book.

This is Lennon's story and if you've read the first two you know Lennon is the crazy fly by her pants tatted up friend. She drives a unicorn van and designs sex toys. I LOVED her in the first two books so I couldn't wait to see her first hand in hers.



The first part of the book was going well. I enjoyed both Jasper and Lennon. It was hot. It had humor. Then something was introduced. I can't really explain “what” without spoiling the book, but suffice it to say when that plot point was brought in is when the book went off the rails for me. Jasper lost his edge. Lennon lost her spark and the connection I was feeling fizzled out. I felt like the lightheartedness that I loved in this series went out the window and the book turned rather serious and more angsty.

Jasper was also my least favorite of the heroes. Sure he was hot and all Dom like at times, but his over reaction at the end soured me on him pretty fast. He acted like a child considering the stakes involved when one 10 minute conversation (which BTW is about as long as he groveled for) could have cleared the air. I also had an issue with the way Lennon's whole family treated her they were a bunch of judgy douches. lol

So I know it sounds like I didn't enjoy this one, but often it is the bad stuff we didn't like that takes up the most page space. All three of these books have been entertaining reads, and I would recommend them ALL. So sally forth and read